Winter!!!

I woke up this morning to it snowing -- I know that it has already snowed this winter, but nothing like this morning!

When I looked out my window, the roads hadn't even been driven on yet -- it was absolutely magical!

Driving to the Brown Line (the subway I take to work -- which isn't actually a subway b/c it is one of the few lines that is above ground in the city), I was constantly gasping at how beautiful the city looked with snow everywhere! It's like it gives the earth and trees and buildings natural highlights.

As corny as it may sound, I actually found myself saying that it gives new meaning to the song "Winter Wonderland" -- that is exactly how I felt this morning.

It finally feels like what I thought a snowy Christmas would feel/look like.

I will try to post some photos of it later -- and Pablo apparently filmed Paisley and Laila playing in it this moring, so I will try and figure out how to put that up here as well.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Good Morning Anna!

pablo got home from honduras last night, and it is sooo good to have him home. and as a welcome home/good morning gift, we woke up to a beautiful blanket of snow!!! it is absolutely magical. :)

and, on top of that, pablo let paisely come and say good morning in the bed this morning (something he never never allows), and it was wonderful!

i'm so glad he is home.

Waiting

this morning i woke up and went to church, which, to be honest, was a miracle b/c i never go to church when pablo is gone, but today i went (partly b/c i didn't want to see that look he gives me when he asks, "did you go to church?"). anyways, i went to church. and i am so glad i did b/c the LORD met me there.

the worship was ok and the message was really good, but after the message is when i met GOD.

our pastor occasionally asks for people to come up and pray for those in the congregation who need it -- i never respond to this. sometimes i feel like it's a charade, other times i just don't want to get out of my seat, or for some other reason i don't get out of my seat. well, today he called up 4 people from the congregation that have the gift of prophetic prayer, and asked anyone from the congregation that wanted should come and have one of them pray for them. from that moment on my body was not my own.

my legs took me up to the front, and placed me in front of a man that i have not had the best first impression of, and he began to pray. friends, the first thing he said was "i am getting the feeling of waiting" and when he said this, i lost it. tears, that i had no idea were in the wings just started flowing -- i had zero control of them. and then he continued to pray how the LORD has heard my prayers, He has heard my heart, and soon He will answer them. when he said this, my shoulders just sagged out of sheer... relief i guess is the word. the man said so much more, but i can't really remember it all (even though i was thinking to myself 'remember this! remember this!').

i have felt such despair that the LORD has not been hearing the prayers of my heart, that He has not cared about me, that the answer to my prayer of 'when is it my turn to be alive' has gone completely and utterly unacknowledged. i have been feeling so alone, and forgotten by the LORD. and today He said He sees me, He has heard me, and He will answer me soon.

of course i am a little apprehensive of this word "soon" when it comes to the LORD -- we all know about how His definition for the word is not necessarily our own... but man does it feel good to know that He knows my heart, and that He cares about it.

so, i am continuing to wait on Him -- but with expectation now.

ummm... cold.

woke up this morning, it was 50* in my apartment, and 24* outside... the high is supposed to be 29* today.

folks, what the heck have we gotten ourselves into? this is only the beginning!!!

oh man.

First Snow?

today it snowed for the first time. it was beautiful, but bittersweet because i really wanted my first snow to be shared with pablo, who is actually out of the country currently. :( but, it's not cold enough for the snow to stick to the ground so i'm saying that we haven't had our first snow yet... hopefully it won't happen until sunday night when pablo gets back.

anyways, back it being beautiful, i have seen snow before, but i don't know that i have ever seen it fall. all i have to say is that individual snow flakes are as beautiful as little kids books make them out to be. they are absolutely enchanting.

so, i spent today (a random day that i had off from work) inside doing 3 loads of laundry, sewing my very own tree skirt (one of the fabrics being some of the leftover lace from my wedding dress), and sitting at my kitchen table looking out of the window at the snow flakes falling. it was a good day -- kind of lonely, but good.

i did have a delightful conversation with my dear friend emily engle -- it had been too long since i heard her voice. i had forgotten -- actually, that sounds awful, let's "say that it had not be at the forefront of my mind" -- how much i really do enjoy her. God really did give me a blessing by setting us up as roommates our freshman year.

well, i have made a lasagna, a salad and am starving so i shall leave you now.

i guess the winter is really here.... no turning back now.

Snuggie... Really Folks?

ok, i must preface this post by saying my intention is not offend ANYONE, but i am going to be candid about my thoughts on the upcoming topic -- please read it with a grain of salt if your thoughts do not line up with mine.

it all began in california at the beginning of Oct. when i was visiting my sister in LA and we stepped in to Bed Bath & Beyond to pick up my sister's wedding gift -- that's when i saw it, the Snuggie. friends, what the heck is this?!!! it's a blanket with arms, i get it, but seriously?!! it's hideous! and have you seen those commercials??? let's not even talk about the grown white guy dancing in a blue one. actually, lets talk about -- it is outrageous, and not in a good way! aside from my disbelief at the commercails, my aversion towards the snuggie is this: its supposed to be a blanket with arms (some even come with pockets for the remote... we won't go there either), but it's more like a robe that doesn't open. why not just make a blanket with arms? none of this potato-sack-over-the-head-and-thru-the-arms crap. and the leopard print -- really?!

but, to top this all off, my wonderful friend, christina duncan (who had a front row ticket to my ranting about this a couple weekends ago), sent me an email this morning that took me to a whole new level of flabbergastedness (is that a word?). check out this new and improved version of the snuggie:

I literally burst (or actually i had to stifle it b/c i was at work) laughing at this -- part out of entertainment, but part out of, again, complete flabbergastedness.

i don't know if there is anymore to say about this... i just don't get it.